The New York Mets decided to move Juan Soto to left field ahead of the 2026 MLB season. Moreover, the Mets star will play that position for the Dominican Republic at the 2026 World Baseball Classic, so he will gain experience in meaningful games before New York’s campaign.
“It made sense for us from a roster perspective so we’re going to go forward with everyone on board with it,” Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said on Feb. 10 (h/t New York Post).
With spring training underway, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza shared the latest on how Soto is adapting to his new position and didn’t hold back his outlook for his star player in left field.
“He’s committed, man,” Mendoza told reporters on Feb. 24 (h/t MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM). “He wants to be great. He’s one of those players where it’s like, all right, what’s the part of my game that I need to improve on? The defense is the first one, and he knows it.
“He was on board when we started the conversation, and you see it, how committed, like I said he is, on those drills, the jumps, the routes, how engaged he is with the outfield coaches. Yeah, it’s not a position that is new for him, as we all know, and he just continues to get better there.”
Juan Soto to Benefit From Playing in Left Field
Amid this decision from New York, former MLB general manager Jim Duquette says the team made the right move by moving Soto to left field. Duquette pulled out Soto’s defensive stats in right field, and they weren’t flattering for the Mets standout.
“If you look at all the metrics and the eyeball test and all that, last year he was a minus-12 Outs Above Average in right field,” Duquette said during the Feb. 10 edition of “Baseball Night In New York.”
“The last time he played left field, it was, I think, a minus-7 in left. It wasn’t great. But defensively, there are fewer balls hit to left field. There are fewer right-handed hitters in the league; that’s No. 1. No. 2, his arm plays better in left field than it does in right field, and I think there will be an upgrade defensively in left field.”
Mets Shouldn’t Worry About Where Juan Soto Plays
Regardless of where Soto plays out in the outfield, even though he’s not the best defensive player out there, MLB Network Radio host Ryan Spilborghs believes all that should matter is that the Mets have Soto’s bat in the lineup.
“I don’t know that left field is that much easier for Juan Soto,” Spilborghs said in a Feb. 10 video posted by MLB Network Radio. “I mean it goes back to when he first came up to the big leagues with the Washington Nationals for Soto. He’s in left because Bryce Harper was in right.
“Right field at Citi Field is a little bit nuanced just because of all the different corners and cuts that they have. So moving him to left field, should that help him out a little bit? Possibly. I don’t know if this makes it easier for Juan Soto, but I just want him for his bat. I care about his bat.”
Soto finished the 2025 season batting .263 with 152 hits, 43 home runs, 105 RBIs, and 120 runs scored across 160 games, per StatMuse.
Mets’ Carlos Mendoza Doesn’t Hold Back on Juan Soto in Left Field